Thursday, October 27, 2016

HOREMOW Issues and Concerns

Regretfully I need to publicize some issues and concerns that I have with the Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW), based in Nigeria. Brother Paul Rika, who is the International Director, and whom I had considered to be a friend, leads it. He is married to sister Linda Paul Rika, formerly Linda Ngaujah, who is originally from Sierra Leone. I had previously published her testimony of heaven and hell, but have since removed that article due to my concerns.

Linda Paul Rika
The Scripture says not to receive an accusation against an elder, except by the testimony of two or three witnesses. So I have confirmed the following details through interviews with Michael Thomas Sambo and Jeff Zanni, who is a retired Air Commodore with the Nigerian military.

False Prophecies
Since Linda received her original revelation, she has taken to prophesying future events that do not come to pass. For example, she falsely prophesied the winner of the Nigerian presidential election. The person she prophesied would be the next president was not the person who won the election. While I have known about this for quite some time, I have chosen to remain silent about it until now. But I can no longer remain silent, because she has given many other prophecies that did not come true.

She also prophesied about a certain governor of a Nigerian state, who was seriously wounded in a plane crash. After the crash he was airlifted to the US where he received medical care and later returned to Nigeria to govern the state. A meeting was arranged with the Governor to be prayed for by a team of ministers from HOREMOW with Paul Rika in attendance. During the meeting she prophesied that he would recover from his injuries and go back to his job as governor. However, to this day he has not gone back. His term of office ended while he was still sick, and another person was elected in his place. To this day he is unable to hold office.

There was another case where a Nigerian governor actually died in a plane crash, who had been a Christian. His deputy, a Muslim took over in line with the Nigerian Constitution. Linda prophesied that a Christian governor would replace him. However, another Muslim succeeded him, not a Christian, so once again Linda’s prophecy never came to pass.

At a HOREMOW event in Bauchi State, Nigeria in 2013, where Linda was a guest speaker, she also prophesied that the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria would end that year. She prophesied that the Lord said He would take out Boko Haram Himself. In fact, Jeff Zanni was also a guest speaker at that same program and heard her prophecy. However, Boko Haram did not end after that, so her prophecy did not come to pass. In fact that group has gotten worse, and is still killing people. They are still there and have even sworn allegiance to ISIS.

Although I am not saying Linda's original testimony was not true or genuine, all of these false prophecies she has been giving call into question anything she now says or has ever said in the name of the Lord. Therefore, the warning of our Lord Jesus to beware of false prophets applies to her in this case:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Mat 7:15-23)

Ungodly Treatment of Michael Sambo
Moreover, she has attacked my friend, brother Michael Thomas Sambo. She has attacked his calling, his family, his ministry, and his revelation that he had of heaven and hell. In fact, she had said it's the spirit of Allah using brother Michael. Her husband, Paul Rika, had been brother Michael’s spiritual father. In fact, he transcribed Michael’s testimony from a video recording and published it as a book, called Divine Revelation of God's Holiness and Judgment. When it was initially published, he seized control of it by giving Michael a legally binding statement drafted by a lawyer to sign, which stated that Michael gave up all rights to royalties from the book to Paul Rika, and that Michael would only have the content of the book to defend. At that time, Michael was young and did not fully understand the implication of what he was signing. Now Paul Rika has informed him that the 300 free books he initially gave him to hand out for evangelism were his full share in the royalties, and that he has no rights to the book. Paul says the book belongs to him. This is amazing, since the book contains Michael’s own testimony as given by Michael himself. While I do not know his motives for claiming exclusive rights to the book, I do know that selfishness, greed, and covetousness have no part in the kingdom of God. Moreover, the revelations the Lord has given us are not for sale, as I have written in my article, The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Paul Rika, pastor and International Director of HOREMOW
Furthermore, Paul Rika has now gone so far as to tell Michael that he is backslidden, his name is not written in the Book of Life, and he is under God’s judgment. He told Mike that he does not even have any future ministry in HOREMOW. Subsequently in a private meeting with Jeff Zanni, Paul told Jeff that Mike was backslidden, that he had abandoned ministry, and that a prophecy was given through Linda his wife that Mike’s name was no longer written in the Book of Life. This seems like an abuse of spiritual gifts, since prophecy is not meant to be used to judge people, but to edify, encourage, and comfort the Body of Christ (1 Cor 14:3-4). Paul said that Mike loved the things of this world and had gone after money by establishing a poultry farm. The implication was that it was not right for a preacher to own a poultry farm. Jeff responded by saying that he did not see thing anything in the Bible to prohibit a preacher from owning property. During that meeting, the two men also prayed together.

Subsequently Michael received two invitations to speaking engagements that were independent of HOREMOW. But he felt that he needed to clear it with his spiritual father before going to those engagements. Mike felt that no preacher who is backslidden or whose name was no longer in the Book of Life should be speaking for the Lord, so he wanted to know if Paul would authorize him to go and speak. In an email he sent to Paul about this, he said in part, "...In my understanding, I think I am on discipline. I have been praying before the Lord on all that was discussed and feel that as a son in the Lord, I need a clearance on my state before I am engaged to preach. Please sir, I am confused." However, all of his attempts to reach Paul went unanswered up to the dates of these engagements and Mike did not go to either one. He did not see any reason that he should do so, since Paul considered him to be a backslider.

Michael Thomas Sambo
Afterward, on 22nd  September 2015, Paul convened a meeting of HOREMOW leaders as a sort of council or hearing, so that Paul could decide Mike’s case. According to Mike, the meeting lasted nearly five hours. Paul reviewed the matter of Mike’s failure to fulfill his two speaking engagements, and characterized his actions as "evil". Then he asked Mike what he had to say in defense of himself.

Mike responded in part by saying, "Before I go on to explain why I acted that way, I still want to apologize again before I explain. I'm very, very sorry. I'm not going to defend myself." Then in his detailed explanation of his actions, he said something like this: “Sir, you told me my name is not in the Book of Life, that I am backslidden, and that I don’t even have any more future in HOREMOW to do any ministry, and that I should go and pray." And Mike continued, "Sir, you did not confirm to me in response to my email that I should go and speak. I called you on the phone, but you did not answer. I texted you, but still received no response. I emailed you, but you did not answer me. The day came and went, and since I did not receive any answer from you, I did not go to speak.”

In a short, fifteen-minute clip of the meeting that I watched, Mike got down on his knees facing Paul, who was seated, and said he was deeply sorry. He made it clear that his intention was not to run away from Paul, to hurt him, or to compete with him. He pleaded for forgiveness for any way in which he had offended anyone. He said once again, "I'm very sorry."

In response to this, Paul said that he himself had moved very slowly on this matter for months, wondering, "What do I do?" He said he had continued that way until the day before the present meeting was held. He said he had been given "two verdicts" for Mike, but he only elaborated on one of them initially, which was the one that would apply if Mike felt he had finished apprenticeship and wanted to have his own ministry. He said if that was what Mike wanted, they would pray for him and give him all the support he needed. Mike could still be a minister in HOREMOW. They would use him any time they wanted, but he would be on his own. "Whatever assistance we want to give you or you need from the movement, fine. The materials you need you have access to those. You have access to me for any help you need. You have your liberty. I think this is a good option, if you consider it so." He indicated that Mike could come and go any time he wanted and would be one of the HOREMOW leaders. He asked Mike how he would like to proceed.

There was a long pause for a couple minutes as Mike knelt before the group. Then Mike said he was not in a position to make a choice at that moment. He needed time to go and pray about it before he would make a decision, since it was very serious.

He asked Paul whether his apology was accepted. However, while all this was being video recorded, Paul said, "As for apology, right from the beginning [I have said that] it's only...the act is before the Lord. I have said it. The act is before the Lord. So you are not making apology [to me]. You are making apology to the house and before the Lord." As Paul paused to wait for Mike's decision on which verdict he would choose, Mike replied, "I don't have the answer, sir. I don't have the answer."

Then Paul, pressed for a response, saying, "Do you choose so or do you not choose so." He had given Mike a choice: Mike could either go and have his own ministry with the possibility of speaking at HOREMOW events, or else he could stay in HOREMOW and only do whatever Paul says he must do. He reiterated that the second option was that if Mike chose to remain in HOREMOW, he would be saying to Paul, "I want to remain with you, as a minister under your command." He also said that the first option was that Mike would not be under his command. He once again repeated that the second option was, "You are under my command! Then I will take decision on you as a minister under my command."  He gave examples of what that would mean, saying he would be managing Mike's activities each step of the way, saying, "Back again. Go here before you go. Do this before you do it." He asked Mike if that is what he wanted or if he wanted to be able to go and conduct his ministry without such restrictions.

Mike simply replied, "I want the will of God, sir."

Paul replied, "You want the will of God. You have a right to the will of God for you."

Mike responded, "I want us to pray."

Paul replied, "Then I will take this decision. You are now on discipline. You will stop all ministry and go to pray to recover your Christian life, because this thing you did offended the Lord. That the Lord's people were crying out and just your stubbornness -- stubbornness, just because you would not submit. You allowed the name of the Lord to suffer shame. You allowed the Lord to be grieved over the message the Lord has given you. You offended God. So you will go and have your time to recover, [his words after this were inaudible]. I want to make sure I walk with a holy man, a righteous man. I will journey very far. And the eyes of God are upon Holiness Revival Movement, and we must give God the best. You are coming short of the best. Your life has to be improved. You must attend to righteousness and holiness. You've behaved badly. So I have placed you on discipline indefinitely until such time as God has finished working in your life." He also told him he needed to go take care of his communications, remain where he is there, and “be faithful to fellowship, being careful to attend all meetings, but no ministry."

When Jeff heard this, he later challenged Paul’s decision publicly, since it seemed quite harsh. Paul replied by asking Jeff whether he would have challenged Moses’ decision, if he had been present when Moses consulted with God about a certain man who had sinned, whom God said should be stoned to death. In saying this, he implied that the Lord told him to discipline Mike indefinitely. It's interesting that Paul related himself to Moses, rather than the Lord Jesus, who said, "Neither do I condemn you," when those gathered around Him were ready to stone the woman caught in adultery, and asked Him what He thought should be done with her (Joh 8:11). The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Joh 1:17).

When Paul had finished placing Mike on indefinite discipline, he said, "Everybody will pray with you to help that you recover. And I want to ensure that all the nuances that are going around, 'Pastor Rika is in trouble.' or "Pastor Rika and Michael Sambo are in conflict.' Those nuances must be stopped! All people forming cliques everywhere. I see there's two cliques now -- one for Pastor Rika, one for Michael Sambo. It must disappear! You will come back as a son walking with his father. And we must walk in righteousness and holiness." He said all of this while remaining seated in his chair and while Mike remained kneeling on the floor in front of him in the middle of the room.

Incidentally, in that meeting, Paul denied that he ever told Mike that his name was not written in the Book of Life. Jeff Zanni was there in the meeting, as one of the people Paul considered a HOREMOW leader. He knew that Paul had told him privately that Mike’s name was not in the Book of Life, but he did not want to embarrass Paul publicly, so he did not say anything at the leaders’ meeting. He assumed that perhaps Paul had forgotten, so he held his peace.

However, a few days later, Jeff spoke to Paul privately. He told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t happy with Paul’s handling of Mike and his case. Jeff reminded him of the private meeting they previously had together, in which Paul told him that Mike’s name was not in the Book of Life, and he also reminded Paul of other details of that meeting. However, Paul was speechless. Jeff told him to apologize to Mike, but he did not. Instead he began telling false stories about Mike and even about Jeff himself. In doing so, Paul is acting as if he is does not need to be accountable to anybody, including the elders within his own organization. For example, one of the claims Paul has made several times is that Mike did not apologize to him. However, I have seen the video recording, showing Mike apologizing multiple times, which I have documented in this article. Both Mike and Jeff have released Paul in their hearts and they have peace inside, because the Lord knows and sees what is happening.

Revelations Equal to the Bible
Another issue I have with HOREMOW is that Paul Rika says that when a revelation is given and it is confirmed to be from God, that revelation is equal to the Bible. So his wife Linda gives dreams and revelations on people, and he believes them and acts on them based on whatever she says. This is an unbiblical practice that is very dangerous. It leads to all kinds of error, both doctrinal and practical. It has been and is being used to manipulate, abuse, and hurt people seriously, as has been done to brother Michael.

As we have already seen, people can make false prophecies that do not come to pass, as with Linda's prophecies. If those are considered equal to Scripture, then many people will be led astray. That would mean these messages are inerrant and become elevated to the level of Scripture. In other words, each prophecy would hold the same authority as Scripture. Or else it is regarded as another rule that Christians must obey, besides the Bible. The end result is that such prophecies and revelations end up superseding Scripture, because they are regarded as authoritative and binding upon all Christians, even if they contradict the Bible. This essentially nullifies the Word of God. The fact is that no prophecy carries the same authority as Scripture, and must either conform to the Word of God or be ignored.

The apostle Paul said, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part." (1Co 13:9). Our sole rule of faith is the Bible, and prophesies are meant to strengthen, edify, and encourage the Body of Christ (1 Cor 14:3).

Also see my article Scripture Alone.

Use of the Title "Daddy"
Another issue I have with HOREMOW is people calling Paul Rika by the title "Daddy." Jesus commanded, "And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven." (Mt 23:9, NIV). In light of what our Lord commanded, I once asked Paul in February 2014 why he allows people to call him "Daddy," since it means father. However, he never replied to me. Daddy and father are two synonymous words. If we are not to call any man by this title, we should also not let any man address us that way, since it would be sin. There is absolutely no Scriptural basis at all for calling any man Father or Daddy.

Remarrying Your First Spouse
Likewise, I do not see any Scriptural basis for the teaching of Paul Rika and HOREMOW, regarding remarrying one's first spouse. They teach that if someone has been remarried after divorce, they must return to their first spouse.

First of all, as I stated in my article, Divorce -- Two Divine Revelations, I agree that the ideal situation is to be reconciled with your first spouse and get remarried to that person. Simply repenting for committing the sin of divorce and not going back to your spouse is not enough. You must make restitution!

However, if your first spouse has already been remarried, I do not see any Scripture that allows you to remarry that person. Even if their second spouse divorces them or dies, the Bible teaches that it is an abomination for you to remarry your first spouse once they have been married to someone else.

"When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.” (Deu 24:1-4).

Likewise, the Lord declared through the prophet Jeremiah, "If a husband divorces his wife And she goes from him And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted?" (Jer 3:1)

Therefore, the only scenario in which Scripture allows you to remarry your first spouse, in my opinion, is when neither of you have been remarried after divorcing.  In fact, if you have been divorced and neither you nor your spouse have been remarried, you should certainly repent and remarry your spouse if he or she is willing to do so. However, there is no biblical basis for remarriage to one's first spouse after divorce and remarriage has already occurred. Doing so would violate the Word of God, and teaching people to do so would nullify one of God's commandments.

Our Lord said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-20)

In July 2015, I brought all of this to the attention of Paul Rika by sending him my article on Divorce, which contains the section above on remarrying your first spouse that I have just quoted from (except for a couple, recent, minor revisions), and asking for his input. However, he never responded to me.

For more on this topic, please see Adultery According to Jesus.

Putting it All Together
All of this needs to be evaluated based on the Word of God. First of all, we are not to listen to a false prophet, but rather expose them. If someone is giving prophetic predictions that do not come true, then they have proven to be a false prophet. We should not listen to anything else they say. Secondly, if someone is using prophecy to judge or control people, they are abusing the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are in need of church discipline. Thirdly, we must not make any prophecy or revelation equal to Scripture, since that is not the purpose of the prophetic, and we only prophesy in part (1 Cor 13:9). Fourthly, there is to be no division in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 1:10), and we must love one another from the heart (Joh 13:34; 1 Pe 1:22; 4:8; Rom 12:9). If a brother repents, we are to forgive him and comfort him (Lk 17:3-4), so that he is not overwhelmed by excessive sorrow, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes (2 Cor 2:7,11). If we do not forgive others, then our Father in heaven will not forgive us (Mt 6:14-15). The way that Paul and Linda Rika have treated brother Michael is hurtful, unforgiving, and controlling. Whatever they have done to Mike, they have done it unto Jesus (Mt 25:40). Fifthly, Paul has told false stories about Mike and Jeff, and we are commanded not to bear false witness against our brother (Ex 20:16). We are supposed to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15), for all liars will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev 21:8).

Sixth, the way Paul has seized control and claimed exclusive rights to the book containing Mike's testimony is not right. Seventh, there is no Scripture that says anyone should be denied forgiveness or disciplined indefinitely. This is an abuse of spiritual authority and a form of mind control. The Lord does not accuse forever, nor will He always be angry. He is with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit (Is 57:15-16). "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (Jam 4:6). Eighth, Paul seems to be lacking accountability, since he is acting unilaterally without regard for what one of his own elders is telling him. Ninth, he allows people to call him "Daddy," contrary to what Jesus taught. Tenth, there is the unbiblical teaching on remarriage to one's first spouse after divorce and remarriage. Eleventh, Linda accuses Michael of being used by the spirit of Allah, and Paul has been echoing that same thing. People who say such things to those who are operating by the Spirit of God should beware of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mar 3:28-30). Finally, Paul’s heavy-handed, domineering behavior is not the way a pastor is supposed to care for the flock. The Scripture says that an elder is not supposed to lord it over others like that.

The Lord said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” (Luk 22:25-26). Likewise, the apostle Peter said, “Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1Pe 5:3).

Sadly, based on these bad fruit, we can say for sure that this couple is no longer operating in the Holy Spirit. This is not the fruit of the Spirit. Since Jesus said you would know them by their fruit, we have now identified who they are. They are bad trees, and bad trees cannot bear good fruit, neither can a good tree bear bad fruit. I do not judge them, but I have identified them based on the fruit test, as I have written in my article, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets.

After documenting these issues, I humbly submitted the document to Paul Rika via email to read and respond. His assistant, brother Ande, replied to say he would print my document and give it to Paul once he returned from a trip he was currently on in Sierre Leone. His email was sent from "Holiness Revival Movement Headquarters Abuja," displaying Paul Rika's name and profile picture on it, so he was officially representing that movement and its International Director. Underneath Ande's name in his email was a caption stating, "Holiness; the only requirement for Heaven" (emphasis mine). This is not to pick on brother Ande, but this slogan helps to reveal an underlying assumption within HOREMOW that is being taught, which is not biblical. I replied back to him, asking what Scripture he bases that slogan upon, but he did not answer me.

Holiness is certainly one of the requirements for heaven (Heb 12:14), but our Lord Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love. You are commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27). These are even greater than the command to be holy, as important as holiness is. Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Joh 13:35, NIV). We do not want to be a holy people without love. If we attain the very highest level of holiness in our lives, but have not love, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3). Let's not forget that! May the Lord help us all to be a holy people who love the Lord with all our being and love one another deeply from the heart. This whole matter should cause us all to go before the Lord, asking Him to evaluate us and reveal to us anything that is hidden that must go.

I do not relish or enjoy writing an article such as this, and I wish I did not have to do so. This article is not meant to condemn Paul and Linda Rika. I myself am just a man who has not yet attained to perfection. But I also have a responsibility to my readers to warn them of things like this, especially since I had previously written a favorable article about Linda, and other articles associated with HOREMOW. As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy, "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning." (1 Tim 5:20). And he instructed the Ephesians, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph 5:11, NIV).

Epilogue
As I mentioned in the article, I sent an email about this matter to brother Paul Rika, but he never replied to me. There has been no repentance, no apologies, no brokenness in response to this matter being publicized. I also sent this article to the US Coordinator for HOREMOW, brother Johnson Tata, but he never replied to me either. And I know that brother Jeff Zanni has also spoken to the HOREMOW Coordinator for Europe in London, as well.

I received a comment to this article on 29 August 2019 from a reader who stated that he was presently attending a HOREMOW Ministers' Conference, where Paul Rika presented revelations proclaiming himself as the General Overseer of all churches in the world. This occurred after he declared the previous day that HOREMOW is superior to all churches in the world.

Just a few days later on 10 September 2019, I also received a comment from one of my readers stating that just the previous day a video titled God's Choice of Pastor Paul Rika was posted by Holiness Revival Movement where Linda Rika stated her latest revelation. She referred to her husband Paul Rika as the "Messiah" of our generation!

We have listened to that video, which is mostly incomprehensible, and noticed that it has been heavily edited with many cuts and splices, which sometimes occur in mid-sentence, apparently to go back and alter what she said during the first take. However, we confirmed that she does in fact make such a false claim about Paul Rika near the end of the video during the last two minutes or so (29:17-29:56). She claims she was shown that a certain group of white people in an unknown country were shown Paul Rika in a revelation during their daily prayers. She claims, "These white people, they are waiting for this messiah. Because God told them, 'I’m going to send the messiah for your generation, that if you listen to him, and anybody that follows him is the one I’m going to carry you, and I will be protecting you people.' So they have been praying that God send [this messiah] -- and God has told them that, 'I have sent the person.' "

Let me remind you of the warning that our Lord Jesus gave us two thousand years ago about the last days before His return. Jesus said, "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Mat 24:23-25, NIV).

Moreover, in this video Linda claims God told her, "Anybody that I send to this [HOREMOW] movement must submit to my son Pastor Paul Rika." She claims that people will be following him and he will "overshadow this generation." She even said that satan has deleted the Bible, that there is no true Bible any more, and that the Bible which people are reading has blinded their eyes (9:29-10:07). Then she claimed satan told her that Paul Rika is cleaning up the Bible and bringing the true Bible to mankind. The last time I checked, the Word of the Lord is still flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times (Ps 12:6; 18:30; 19:7). Therefore, beware of anyone who claims they have the only true Bible.

During the first fifteen minutes of the video, she also makes critical statements about other African brothers who have received revelations from the Lord, claiming satan told her that they have been compromised by him, such as brothers Ezekiel Moses and Michael Sambo. Since we know satan is a liar and the father of lies (Jn 8:44), and that he is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), why is she listening to him, accepting what he says, and proclaiming that to the world, rather than rebuking the devil? She is not prophesying for God here, but by her own admission, she is receiving a message from the devil and prophesying for him. In doing so, she is acting as the devil's prophetess, publicly casting slanderous accusations on the brethren that she has received from him.

I know Michael Sambo personally and certainly do not think he is under satan's control. He cares for the brethren who are under these delusions and considers them eternal souls who have been brainwashed to partake in these deceptions. He is alarmed that the church has been subjected to such a wine of deception and many have partaken of it, which has led many followers of HOREMOW to become confused while a large number of others have been deceived. Therefore, he is calling for us to rise up in prayer for them. He states, "I pray the Lord himself with bring salvation and deliverance to as many as desire it in Jesus' name." Amen.

A dear Nigerian pastor I know and love, who lives abroad but recently visited his native Nigeria, told me that the conditions in the Church there have gotten worse since he left the country. He said there is human worship, pastors are prideful and unaccountable, and people worship them as God, as if they cannot fall. This very practice is setting these pastors up for a fall, because instead of helping to bring about repentance for ungodly behavior, these people are encouraging pastors to continue in it. This should be a wake up call not only for the Church in Nigeria, but throughout the world, to stop worshiping men and making idols out of them. Stop treating them as if they are not accountable to any man. I suggest you repent for the way you have contributed to this sad state of affairs.

If this article does not appall you and grieve you, and if you are more interested in keeping your idol from toppling, then you are part of the problem I have just described. This message should cause you to grieve, lament, and pray. However, many readers have chosen to attack the messenger instead. If you plan to use the comments section for that purpose, then please don't bother, because your comments will not be published. If you are going to leave a comment that disagrees with what has been presented in this article, then please provide factual evidence to support your view, as well as any witnesses you are able to cite, if you want your comment to be published.

Finally, as for my views on holiness, they haven't changed one bit because of this matter, because they are based on the Bible and not on any man's revelation. You can still find my articles on holiness, such as Holy Living in a Perverted World, Garments of Godliness, and Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, along with revelations about God's holy standards on Eternal Destinations, such as Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Eudoxia Varga's Testimony of Heaven and Hell, and Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony.

Part II - Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW
Part III - HOREMOW Descends to a New Low

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB,except where noted otherwise. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW, More Accusations Against Paul and Linda RikaJudging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Grieve and Lament for the Church, The Nature of False ProphetsLeadership Approach Reveals View of GodMichael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, A Tale of Two Kings, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Accountable, correctable, and teachable, Loving Deeply, Filled Up to All the Fullness of God, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins, Interview with Brother Michael Thomas Sambo, The Wardrobe of the Saints, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, How to Treat Leaders, Our Senior Pastor, The Shepherding Role of Elders, Exposing Heresy, Divorce -- Two Divine Revelations, Adultery According to Jesus, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Purge the Evil from Among You, and The Rise of Antichrists. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

77 comments:

  1. Len,

    Thanks for the article, but i have certain issues, Hebrews 12: 14 says without holiness no one will see the LORD. Holiness is tied to love in one way or another....You cannot hate and claim to be holy, separated from sin. Holiness is the only requirement for heaven according to Hebrews 12:14 and HOLINESS ENTAILS LOVE....The opposite of love is hatred...if we fall short of 1 Corinthians 13, we are not acting in love and hence we have not attained the full measure of being separated from sin...and therefore we are not holy.

    Second, though you have published this article, we can also not rule out the fact that at one point the LORD spoke through these couple.It was not their message but that of the LORD. I Suggest you do not pull out the original article, because it was the MESSAGE OF GOD to HIS PEOPLE AND NOT OF MAN,,,,Linda did not take herself to hell...This message may help one to separated from sin and walk Holy.

    All this i suggest

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    1. Dear Unknown, I stand by what I have written. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that holiness is the only requirement for heaven. It is simply not in the Bible. It is ONE of the requirements. I think your line of reasoning is a bit of a stretch to justify the unbiblical slogan that holiness is the ONLY requirement for heaven.

      As for her original revelation, it is remaining down at this time, and I have no plans at this time to put it back up. That is how I have handled things like this with others who have gotten into error, and I believe it is what the Lord wants me to do. I believe the Word of God supports my decision to do so.

      I am surprised that your initial reaction to reading this article was to petition me in support of Linda's original revelation and to argue in favor of the unbiblical holiness slogan used by the HOREMOW headquarters. Shouldn't you have rather been filled with grief? (1 Cor 5:2). Shalom.

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  2. This made me so sad. I used to consider Linda as my role model. It was after watching her testimony that I started dressing modestly. I will remember them in my prayers. Lord have mercy upon us

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    1. Hi, Tumi, thanks for your heartfelt comments after reading the article. God bless you.

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    2. Dear Tumi and others who have commented, please see my second article called Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW. http://wordistrue.blogspot.com/2017/01/exposing-darkness-within-horemow.html

      The Lord bless you!

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    3. Thanks for writing this article. Sister Linda's first testimony is still keeping me going I really can't deny that but I also know that as a man error is inevitable I believe they need prayer at this moment.I pray that God will in his mercy restore them.

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  4. Dear Len
    Am of the same view i had when u removed BROTHER GABRIEL KOKOU's first testimony....
    I feel its wrong for u to remove their first testimonies bcoz ther r God's message and thru ur blog they hv saved hundreds of ppo....
    Gabriels first testimony
    Lindah's first testimony
    There are all true and removing them is not a solution....
    In the end u gonna remove all those testimonies...
    WHY?
    Because...jst lyk i commented last time about zipporah and rachael mushala and Gabriel ....i told u that the problem of our Borthers and sisters in christ is PRIDE start to consume them...They don lyk to b corrected and they lack accountability...
    Once Jesus has started spraking thru them...giving them Hell and heaven visions they start feeling lyk they kno it all...Lyk they r on top of the WORLD...CLOSER TO JESUS THAN ANY OF US.. HOLIER THAN ANY OF US....
    God hates Pride....PRIDE KILLS...

    they lack accountability and THEY HATE BEING CORRECTED...THEY OFFENDED.. VERY ANGRY AND START CALLING YOU A DEMON...A LOST SOUL.... PRIDE...

    what am saying BROTHER LEN....is what is happening out there...

    SO WE SHUD PRAY FOR THEM AND KEEP ON TELLING THEM THAT WHAT THEIR DOIN Z WRONG....

    SO IF U KIP ON REMOVING THE TESTIMONIES ON YOUR BLOG...IN THE END U WONT HV ANY TESTIMONIES ...Bcoz the devil z attacking our Brothers and Sisters in Christ everyday and are developing the spirit of PRIDE...
    THEY HATE BEING CORRECTED...WHATEVER THEY SAY...ITS FINAL....If u text them and give them verses they turn agaisnt u anf call u a demon or Block u (if on Facebook)...and thats wat z hapening...
    They lack Accountability...They hate being corrected...and above all they Lack LOVE....THEIR MAIN FOCUS IS ON HOLINESS DRESSING....

    Those first testimonies r true 100% true....BUT Gabriel and Sister Linda and Paul Lika hv are not acting straight...so we nid to pray for them and talk to them...NOT REMOVING THEIR FIRST TRUE TESTIMONIES ....
    THOSE TESTIMONIES ARE FROM JESUS CHRIST AND ARE SAVING MANY PPO EVERYDAY....
    BUT NOW...PRIDE Z KILLING THEM....They feel like they dont nid to b corrected bcoz JESUS CAN SPEAK TO THEM.....KKKKK...
    They feel lyk if there z anyone to correct them its nt u or me but JESUS HIMSELF....thats the problem...
    So even if their other testimonies contradict the Bible they don want to b asked questions....whch z WRONG..VERY WRONG....

    PRIDE Z KILLING THEM SLOWLY...THEY FEEL THEY R ON TOP OF THE WORLD...CLOSER TO JESUS THAN THE REST OF US....BUT WE THE BIBLE...THE REVELATIONS HV TO BE BASED ON THE BIBLE....

    now ther r attacking Brother Sambo....i hv read all Sambo's testimonies and bilived them....There r 100% true....

    LEN....I kindly ask u to put back Linda and Gabriel kokou first testimonies...Ther r the Lords message and they r saving Lives everyday.. Putting them down z not a Solution...Your Blog z helpin many ppo out ther...

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    1. Dear sir, if you feel so strongly that sister Linda's testimony is indispensable to mankind and that it must continue to be publicized to the world, regardless of the bad fruit in her life, then I recommend you transcribe her testimony yourself from her videos, write your own article about it, and post it on the internet (I'm sure it is posted in plenty of other places already and her videos abound). The same goes for Bro Gabriel's testimony. As for me, I will continue to require the fruit test according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mt 7:15-20, and follow the course of action I have been led to take on this website with respect to Sis Linda, Bro Gabriel, and others whose testimonies have either been removed or not posted in the first place. God bless you.

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  5. I am really disappointed reading this in a public domain. The church still has a long way to go if they are truly waiting for the return of Jesus Christ in the rapture. I pray that God help Pastor Paul Rika and Michael Thomas Sambo, so that they don't lose heaven for anything here on earth.

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    1. Dear Bro Lugard, what do you recommend Bro Michael should repent of here. I'm not seeing what he needs to repent of. "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-- the LORD detests them both." (Prov 17:15). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom 8:1).

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  6. Pray for more expose too come in Jesus name.amen.

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    1. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead EXPOSE them." (Eph 5:11)

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  7. I am the righteousness of Christ Jesus and the righteousness of Christ Jesus flows within me and therefore the Love of Jesus Christ oveflows through my life. Everything that Christ Jesus is i am. I do not struggle to Love and Forgive; my heart is free from all rancour; bitterness; greed; covetousness; worldliness; pride; jelousy and the lot.....only because i have allowed jesus Christ to reign supreme in my life. My life overflows with the love of christ to all humanity. Therefore i do not rigid myself in trying to live a holy life before God with all kinds of doctrines; rules and regulations. That is bondage. I just lay my life continuously before the alter of God.

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    1. Dear Eniola, you stated, "i have allowed Jesus Christ to reign supreme in my life. My life overflows with the love of christ," and I "lay my life continuously before the alter of God," which is commendable.

      However, you stated, "Therefore i do not [try]...to live a holy life before God with all kinds of doctrines; rules and regulations. That is bondage," and on this point you are mistaken. All of God's commandments are rules, so you cannot say that rules are bondage. Jesus said we must make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey everything He has commanded (Mt 28:20). One may say they love Him, but if they do not obey His commandments, then they do not truly love Him (Jn 14:15,23; 1 jn 5:3). He said we must DO the will of the Father in order to enter His kingdom (Mt 7:21-23). He said we must BE perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48). That is something God will not do for you. Peter said to BE holy in all you DO. (1 Pe 1:15-16). And we are to PURSUE holiness, without which no man shall see God (Heb 12:14).

      If you don't want any rules, then you cannot be a disciple of Christ. The Bible is full of rules, including the New Testament. This includes the commandments to love God and love people (Mt 26:36-40). There are many lists of sins that will keep you from heaven in the New Testament, which constitutes do and don'ts.

      If you do not like doctrines, then again you cannot be a disciple of Christ, because we are supposed to watch our life and doctrine close, it will save you (1 Tim 4:16). "If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing." (1 Tim 4:3). "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires." (2 Tim 4:3).

      I encourage you to read the following articles of mine, which further explain what I am saying:
      http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/12/sins-that-will-keep-you-from-heaven.html

      http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2012/03/is-obedience-optional.html

      http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2013/09/aim-for-perfection.html

      http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html

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  8. God bless you Brother Len, I just want to clarify the issue of remarrying after divorce to another person in the light of what Christ Jesus said here....Matthew 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.....
    I will assume marrying another is adultery and restitution is coming back to the original spouse.

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    1. Dear Bro Aston, you cannot clarify the Word of God any more clearly than it already is. Your assumption about going back to the original spouse after divorce and remarriage has occurred goes directly against Scripture (Deu 24:1-4; Jer 3:1), therefore, God's Word does not teach what you are saying. You are taking a doctrine of men and trying to retrofit that to the Bible. What I am saying is exactly what the Word says. I have the Scripture as my sole basis for what I believe on this matter, which is the only solid foundation. Those who teach what you are saying are telling men to nullify the commandment of God. The Lord says that practice is detestable, so let's not debate about what is stated in the most explicit manner in the Bible. God bless you.

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    1. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Mt 5:4). Please read: http://signs-ofthe-times.blogspot.hu/2012/06/grieve-and-lament-for-church.html

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  10. Hmmmmh.
    I saw her face to face in 2013 she came to the campus and she seemed genuine.
    We've got to pray for them. This is endtime.
    It is best to make the Bible our Standard and Jesus our Model.
    God help us all to live for Him.

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    1. Dear Fumi, Amen. "It is best to make the Bible our Standard and Jesus our Model." God bless you.

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  11. I have two things to say here.The first one is that there should be a distinction before a person and the message that God has given through them.IF God uses a man to give a message and he latter backslides,that does not nullify the message God has given through them.
    Solomon in the Bible backslid latter in life and there is no record in the bible he repented,but the messages God gave him to mankind namely ECCLESIASTES,PROVERBS,SONGS OF SOLOMON are still in the bible.So if you believe the initial message was of God I do not think taking it down is the best decision.
    Secondly,Holiness is the embodiment of everything we need to go to Heaven.Can one be said to be holy if he falls short of one of God's commandment?NO!Love is just an integral part of Holiness and so is every other christian virtue.So one can safely say that holiness is the only requirement to make heaven.

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    1. You are badly mistaken. I suggest you read what our Lord Jesus said in His Word in Matt 7:15-20 about this matter, as I have explained in detail in my article called Testing the Fruit of False Prophets at http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.hu/2013/01/testing-spirits-of-false-prophets.html. He taught us to test the messengers themselves, not just their message, because you cannot separate the message from the messenger! He said, "Watch out for false prophets…By their fruit you will recognize them." Therefore, if you recognize one by his/her fruit, then you do not accept their message. That was the whole reason the Lord warned us. Otherwise you would be rejecting false prophets based on their fruit, but accepting their messages that are not from God.

      As for your argument about holiness, it falls short of Scripture, too. You have no Scripture to back that up, since no place does it say that holiness is the only requirement for heaven. I am not going to discuss that point with you further, since your only way of supporting your viewpoint is to repeat what someone else has said and try to retro fit your belief to the Bible. Let's say only what the Bible says. If God wanted us to say that holiness is the only requirement to reach heaven, then there would be a Bible verse that says that explicitly, since that would be perhaps the most important verse in the Bible. Instead, the Lord did not say that, so we should not. He treated holiness in His Word quite thoroughly and covered it from many different angles, including the fact that without holiness you will not see God's face. If we say what He said in His Word without coming up with our own man-made slogans, and if we put His Word into practice, then we will be on the solid foundation. All other ground is shifting sand. Please do not press this point any further.

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    2. If holiness is the only requirement for heaven, then people could become like the Pharisees. The Pharisees were trying to be holy, but they did not have love. That's how we can be if we have holiness but no love.

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    3. I believe that holiness is extremely important. But 1 Corinthians 13 says, “The greatest of these is love,” not holiness.

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    4. Amen, Born Again. We don't want to become like the Pharisees. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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    5. That right, White. That's what God said through the apostle Paul. And Jesus said it, too. Thanks. God bless you.

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    6. In your own words, you said, "Love is just an integral part of Holiness and so is every other Christian virtue." But that's not a biblical view. In the New Testament, here's what we see:

      "...and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. "Teacher," he asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Mat 22:35-40) So Jesus Himself said that love is the greatest commandment. He didn’t say holiness, though that is important. The thing is that love comes first; holiness naturally follows. It doesn't go the other way around. Holiness and then love is forced.

      God bless you.

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  12. The Word of the LORD JESUS is enough for us, it is profitable for reprove, rebuke, correction in righteousness. It's quite pathetic but it is much profiting to shine the light of God's Word on any hidden works of darkness. Keep doing the bidding if the LORD. I will like to end with this - Galatians 1: [6]I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

    The LORD JESUS CHRIST Builds His Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Amen.

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    1. Dear Bro Philip, thanks for reading and commenting. As that Scripture passage states, we must reject any message from any person or angel that does not agree with the Word of God. And you are correct that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, shining the light of God's Word on any darkness happening in the name of Christ is necessary and profitable, and cannot hinder the Lord's building of His Church. The Lord bless you.

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  13. Dear Len,

    Thanks for this article. The issue of HOREMOW calls for concern for all who love the Lord. While I agree that prayers be made continually in this regard, let people continue to speak out the obvious errors in Linda's prophecies as well as Paul Rika's excesses. May God save His children.

    Emmanuel Onyenso

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    1. Dear Bro Emmanuel, I appreciate you reading and commenting. Thanks and you are welcome. Len

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  14. It is sad because sis. Linda first testimony really convicted me of things in my life i needed to change regarding holiness and i know her testimony was of God. But i have to agree with Len that her testimony must be removed because they are prideful and don't care to receive correction from anyone. We are told to walk humbly before God and in love toward the brethren but sadly the fruits of the spirit are not being seen in them at this time.
    Last year, i personally was given the assignment to go and confront a certain sis. on fb whose anointing has become corrupted as a result of habitual sin, pride and not walking in love. after i related the message to her in a private message that she needed to repent so God can restore her ministry. She took to her timeline on fb and started calling me satan n other names publicly even though i confronted her privately. Then the holy spirit ordered me to expose her publicly for the sake of the flock she was deceiving with her false teachings and deceptive words. But sadly that lady never repented and is so close to commit blasphemy against the holy spirit.
    I agree that her testimony must be remove because we have to walk in accountability before God....
    I thank you Len for this article, it is a real eye-opener. as much as i love them both Linda and Paul the truth must be told for the sake of the flock so they can make an informed decision. I pray the holy spirit will convict their hearts to repent, humble and get back in the father's will.
    God bless you Len!

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    1. Dear sister Barbara, thanks for reading and commenting. You're welcome.

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  15. Jesus! Build your church Lord!! It's falling apart!!!

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    1. Dear Brother Ganiyu, everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that only that which cannot be shaken remains (Heb 12:27). Empires of men will fall. False prophecies will fall along with everything that is based upon them. Man-made traditions will fall. False religions will all fall. Every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and every prideful thing will fall. Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand (Mt 12:25). Every house built on shifting sand, rather than the solid Rock of Jesus Christ and obedience to His commands will fall with a great crash (Mt 7:26-27). But His Kingdom endures forever (Dan 4:3; Ps 145:13), His throne endures forever. His dominion is an everlasting dominion.

      He is still building His Church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church (Mt 16:18). He warned us in advance regarding the signs of the end times when He predicted, "And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mt 24:11-13). He will save all who stand firm to the end. God bless you.

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  16. I do not really demand a response... In the rest...
    The only response I would have loved to see is that of Israel leaving Egypt after 430years instead of 400..as God told Abraham.... Should be consider Abraham a liar and erase the Bible?

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    1. https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/how-long-were-the-israelites-in-egypt/

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  17. Mr. Len it's true they might have erred,but your article is bring more division to the body of Christ. Many that where converted through the message God gave them are becoming discourage and confused. Stop circulating the message of hatred. The bible says "let that thinketh he stand take heed least he fall" .

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    1. Dear Sir, there is no hatred on this site. I did not write the article to bring division, but to expose evil. Yet Jesus said, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." (Lk 12:51). And the apostle Paul said, "No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval." (1 Cor 11:19). I realize that many people don't like this, and frankly I don't like it either. But we have a mandate to expose darkness. "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph 5:11, NIV). Please read: http://wordistrue.blogspot.com/2015/10/exposing-heresy.html

      I have not been biased, nor am I picking on this particular movement. If you check the Home page of this blog, you will see numerous other expositions as well. The Lord knows my heart in posting them. From the very beginning of this blog, the enemy has never been pleased with these expositions, starting with the one exposing the unbiblical practices of the Catholic Church. I was attacked for that, too. Yet in the introduction of that article, I said, "Eventually I may publish additional posts here exposing the false teachings of other Christian denominations, including Protestant ones, and other religions." And I have proceeded to do just that. The people in these Churches do not like it when the evil in their Church is exposed. But that is not a reason to refrain from exposing evil or to remove the articles.

      If people have become discouraged or confused after reading this article, it may be because they were not grounded in the Word in the first place, and were believing falsehood. If we are grounded in the Word, and we love the Truth, then we will not be confused or discourage when someone brings forth truth, and we won't be shaken either. Rather we will be delighted.

      God bless you.

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    1. Dear Brother Peterson Abu, thanks for reading and commenting. I am not sure, however, what you meant by "It is well."

      Let us consider that passage of Scripture you have quoted, in which David lamented the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Though Saul was his enemy, David mourned for him, just as he did for his best friend Jonathan. One of the repeated lines in that lament was “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Sam 1:19,25,27).

      Saul himself was responsible for his own defeat and for the defeat of Israel by the Philistines. He was jealous of David, the Lord’s anointed and tried to kill him. Saul was rebellious and arrogant, and the Lord had rejected him as king (1 Sam 15:23). The Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit tormented him (1 Sam 16:14). He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord no longer answered him (1 Sam 28:6). God had turned away from him (1 Sam 28:15), so he consulted a medium (witch), which was an abomination to God (1 Sam 28:7-8; Lev 19:31). And when he saw that the enemy was defeating him, he took his own life (1 Sam 31:4).

      So while David was very gracious in his lament, the fact is that when Saul had fallen, he was the one who had brought it all upon himself and upon the nation through his own sin. And although David said, “Tell it not in Gath,” the Philistines already knew about it, because they had already found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa before David received the news of their death (1 Sam 31:8). And the whole matter was recorded in Scripture, which has been published in more languages than any other book and has been read for thousands of years. It has been read by both believers and unbelievers alike.

      Saul was a type that represented the religious leader who operates in the flesh, seeking to control people, and David represented the one who walks meekly and humbly by the Spirit. As a man after God’s own heart, David also represents Christ, the Son of David. The story of Saul and David is a great lesson for all pastors today to follow David’s example and not Saul’s.

      As you have aptly stated in your comment below, "Scripture the Standard and Christ the Model." God bless you!

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  20. Bro I am of the opinion that you put back those testimonies knowing that they are from God. From other people's comment you insisting on not putting them back is falling in the same ridge with Bro Paul and the wife whom you are condemning. I think God will require from your hands the blood of the souls that could have repented from your blog through the testimonies if you don't put them back. Remember that two wrongs cannot make a right.

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    1. Sister Grace, thank you for reading and expressing your opinion, which you are entitled to. If we use your line of reasoning, then we would have to say that if you yourself do not write an article about every testimony of every person who has ever given one, regardless of what kind of fruit is now evident in their lives, then you are guilty of all the blood of the people who could have repented. Be careful what standard you hold your brother to, because with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you, and I would not want to see anyone (including you) held to that standard. The Bible says "Woe to me if I preach not the GOSPEL," not "Woe to me if I post not every testimony ever given." If you feel the way you do, then you are thereby obligated to start writing and start posting today, as that has now become your mandatory mission in life.

      And nobody is condemning anybody. We are exposing, as the Scripture commands us to do, the sinful behavior of those who are supposed to caring for the flock. We are warning others of the grave dangers of following this couple. That is love.

      On the other hand, you are falsely accusing me of wrongdoing based on your own subjective opinion, which you yourself are not even living up to. Therefore, any future comments from you that maintain this same position will not be posted. I have no obligation to post false accusations against myself on my website. As you said, two wrongs don't make a right, so posting a second such comment from you would not make the first one right.

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  21. I am very sorry if my comment provoked you. I don't mean to hurt you. Please forgive. We are still brethren. Tnx n God bless you.

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    1. Dear sister Grace, I forgive you. God bless you.

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  22. May God help you and your ministry more and more in Jesus name.indeed the mighty are fallen.let pray for the leaders of the church more and more so that they will not fall into the cobwebs of the spirit of pride.thanks

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  23. All men have fallen short of the glory of God. God knows the hearts of this two men, I pray he will forgive them and give them new hearts. the bible says, the heart of man is wicked who can know it? only God knows the hearts of men including the writer of this article. Shalom.

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  24. Thank you you brother Len for publishing this information. We all need to stay humble as a child of God . I totally support the decision to remove Linda's testimony from your site . God is with you brother Len keep up the good work. Please I also encourage all of us to please pray for Paul and Linda Rika. May Jesus Christ bless us .Amen.

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    1. Dear Christiana, thank you for your support and encouragement. God bless you.

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  25. Dear Len,

    Thank you for the article above. In light of proverbs 18:17, l would like to urge you and the brethen that read this article to listen to both sides to this story as it appears that you have written what Brother Michael Sambo said to you and you mentioned that Pastor Paul Rika didnot respond back to you.

    There is a clear message on this matter entitled KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MATTER AND BE FREE preached by Pastor Paul Rika and its on youtube which is clear with his side. it has 3 parts. Please listen to it and from there you can make your judgements.

    As Children of God we should ensure that all we do is to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

    God bless and be with you.

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    1. Dear sister Juliet Claire, you're welcome. However, what I have written is not based upon what only brother Michael has told me, but also upon what other witnesses have told me. This matter has been established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

      As for the video you referred to, not everything that is called "truth" is actually truth. It was apparently recorded by Paul Rika and posted in response to this article, since to my knowledge it was the first public expose' of the details of the matter. I kindly request that you please read my second article, called Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW, which addresses the video you mentioned. I had posted this second article in January without knowing about the video that had been posted since earlier in January. That second article of mine will prove that it is not a matter only between Paul Rika and brother Sambo. And once I became aware of the Paul Rika video response, I added a section at the end of that second article called "Response from HOREMOW", which you should read. Once again, as with my first and second articles, for the sake of brevity, I did not reveal everything I know with regard to that video. It would take another article to disclose the lies and half truths I have uncovered, and I have no plans to publish all that info right now. The second article I am referring to is at: http://wordistrue.blogspot.com/2017/01/exposing-darkness-within-horemow.html.

      God bless you and please watch out who you follow and listen to. Do not be deceived by wolves in sheeps clothing.

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  26. Over the past few weeks, the Lord has being using Linda Rika and Thomas Michael Sambo's Testimony to challenge my life. My life has changed for the better because of the YouTube videos they made back in 2013 of their experiences in heaven and hell. You can imagine my horror when I learned of Michael's trial with the Rikas.

    I did not want to believe it. I was sooo furious with Paul and Linda Rika! I mean, Linda was taken to hell- you'd think someone who saw it upfront would be REALLY careful to avoid any kind of strife or deception. Power and fame must be some drug!

    Still, all this may be in God's will, as it just forces the real sheep to focus solely on the Lord Jesus Christ and no one else. Still, I honor these vessels of the Lord for the simple fact that God used them to effect serious changes in my walk with Him.

    I ache for HOREMOW. If I am so affected and I just watch them online since I do not live in West Africa, I can just imagine the pain that members of their home church are going through. The Lord was telling the truth when He said that even the VERY ELECT will be in danger of losing their eternal souls in the last days...

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    1. I am sorry to hear what you have been through. Yes, it is painful indeed when hurtful things like this are done within the Body of Christ. I agree with your conclusion. God bless you.

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  27. Hi,
    What do you think about the Holiness/Pentecostal church in general? Is it a good church to attend?

    Thanks,
    Nicki

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    1. Nicki, this is a good question. I think holiness and Pentecostal are two wonderful things. However, I find that at least in the States that almost all churches with those two words in them are Unitarian churches, and I consider that a heresy. I believe in the Trinity. God bless you.

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  28. So, just to clarify---do you also believe in glossolalia?

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    1. Yes, of course. http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2011/06/baptized-with-spirit.html

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  29. Why havent we heard any more prophecies about heaven and hell again from Linda? Or has God suddenly stopped showing her about heaven and hell. T his same woman almost caused dissesion and division in the body of Christ in Nigeria by antagonizing the fathers of the faith in Nigerian..Men like Kumuyi and Adeboye who are by far seniors and elders to her husband. Now, she is causing dissension in HOREMOW. Befor her coming to HOREMOW, Paul Rika and Thomas Sambo have been enjoying peaceful relations. Now, because she has stirred up dissension between brethren. Her mission of marrying Paul Rika has been fulfilled as well as influencing her husband to do wrong to thomas sambo. God help us all.. Every minister of the gospel should take heed to the wife he is about to marry..

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  30. The word of God is the utmost standard for getting to heaven. taking prophecy above the word of God will always leads to heresy, confusion, and delusion. This is because devil also gives vision and revelation which can easily deceive the very elect.
    this is the root of the whole saga. I am indeed very sorry for brother sambo concerning the royalties on his book which doesn't belong to him.

    I almost fall victim of similar scenario if not for the grace of God and maturity when a leader in the church want to lay hold to proceed from some of my applications as a software programer and want it to be legal binding.
    I pray the Lord will strengthen him and open great door for him as I understand his plight
    A s for the couple, I pray the Lord will touch their heart

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    1. Dear brother, thanks for reading and leaving a comment, as well as your prayers for brother Michael and the couple. God bless you.

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  31. Dear Len, your article is good if it is according to the will of God, but you made some errors too. One, by saying that holiness is not tied to love. Love is part and parcel of love. Infact, it's only in holiness you can find true love. Two, your write-up on marriage and restitution is not correct. You cannot use Old Testament standard on marriage for New Testament. It may be difficult to believe or practice, but with God there is way where there seems to be no way. I also agree with what "Unknown" wrote to you". But, know that I am not a member of HOREMOW.

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    1. Dear Kingsley, thanks for sharing your opinion. It is good only if it is in line with Scripture.

      We are to do everything in love. My point was that holiness is not synonymous with love. They are two different words for two different things, just as justification, salvation, and sanctification are related but not synonymous. While everything in God is tied to love, we cannot say that love and holiness are synonymous, and therefore it is incorrect to say that the only requirement for heaven is holiness.

      There is no Scripture that teaches us that holiness is the ONLY requirement for heaven, so we should be careful not to add to the Word of God or take away from it (Prov 30:6; 1 Cor 4:6; Rev 22:18-19). Others could just as well come along and claim that faith in Christ is the only requirement for heaven, and base that on verses like John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Eph 2:8-10, or Rom 10:9-13. Still others could come claim that obedience to God's commandments is the only requirement for heaven and base that on Matthew 19:17, Luke 11:18, 1 John 5:3, or James 1:22. Someone else could claim that the only requirement for heaven is to be born again, and they could base it on John 3:3 and 7. Still another could claim that the only requirement for heaven is love, based on Luke 10:25-28 and 1 Cor 13. And yet another person could claim that the only requirement for heaven is to become as little children, based on Matt 18:3. All of these people could use the same logic you are using by claiming holiness is the only requirement for heaven. Are not faith in Christ, being born again, love, holiness, obedience, and child-likeness all necessary to inherit eternal life?

      As for your belief about marriage being in line with that of HOREMOW, you contradicted yourself. First, you hold to the teaching about remarrying your first spouse, even if one or both spouses are remarried, and this is based in part on Old Testament passages about making restitution. But then you say, "You cannot use Old Testament standard on marriage for New Testament." You are mistaken.

      "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" (2 Tim 3:16). The Lord said that He did not come to abolish the Law and the prophets but to fulfill them (Mt 5:17). He said that until heaven and earth disappear, not one jot or tittle of the Law would disappear until everything is accomplished (Mt 5:18). Even Jesus used Old Testament Scripture to teach about marriage (Mk 10:3, 5-9). The apostle Paul also used Old Testament Scripture for his teaching about marriage and other topics. There was no complete New Testament Bible in the first century, as it was still being written. The apostles relied upon the Lord's own teaching, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit for their teachings.

      Those who believe in divorcing a second spouse and remarrying the first one (and teach people to do so) are causing more divorce and violating Scripture. This is not pleasing to God and is causing damage to people.

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  32. I don't know what to say we are all humans may God help us all

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  33. Hello Len,
    God bless you so much. I am reading this article because I was investigating more on Linda and google brought me here. In fact watching her give a recent dream she had on Coronavirus made me feel there is something wrong with her. Something is simply not right with her though many have been said about she going to heaven and hell. So I decided to look more into articles concerning her. If I may ask; Did she prophesy about the fall of The Lord's Chosen Church in 5 years in 2013?

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    1. Hello Joshua, I am glad the Lord led you here to find the truth about her and HOREMOW. I don't know anything about The Lord's Chosen Church or any prophecy by her about that church. God bless you!

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  34. God bless you with more strength. I wish I have your kind of grace. Stay strong in Jesus name, Amen.

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    1. Thanks for the gracious comment. God bless you, too.

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  35. Amen! Can I make use of this on youtube please? Linda has caused so much confussion in the body of Christ here in Nigeria.

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    1. As the Lord leads you, in the Spirit of Jesus. And please give proper credit. Thank you.

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  36. Am grateful brother, thanks. I will.

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    1. Thanks. Please post a link to your video here afterward.

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  37. God bless you, sir. My initial problem with her testimony was the level of extremes she seemed to apply to all followers of Jesus. No wedding rings or rings of any kind (perhaps, not even the ring Joseph received when he was made a ruler in Egypt). No cosmetics or even attempts to enhance one's natural appearance, even though men of Israel used oil on their faces and an Israelite woman used cosmetics when being made ready for the king God had ordained her to marry.

    I just felt that religious intimidation like Rika's had no limits. As ridiculous as it sounds, who knows, there could be leaders like this, forbidding others from wearing gym shoes, chewing bubblegum or drinking filtered water.

    Idolatry or misuse of anything is understandably wrong. But what many of these testimonies do is cause false condemnation. I'm not saying I know what's right and wrong for every individual, but something just didn't sit right with me when I first discovered information about her.

    I don't mean to be rude and I'm not attacking her, personally or any calling that might be on her life. I just find clarity about what God wants to be of dire importance.

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